LABOUR CANDIDATE FOR PORTCHESTER EAST BY-ELECTION, DOMINIC MARTIN, CALLS ON FAREHAM BOROUGH COUNCIL TO DECLARE A COST OF LIVING EMERGENCY WITH WARM SPACES THROUGHOUT FAREHAM BEING A PRIORITY.
Labour Party candidate for the Portchester East by-election, Dominic Martin, has called on Fareham Borough Council to declare a cost of living emergency. If elected as borough councillor on the 20th of October, one of his first actions will be to put forward a motion to declare a cost of living emergency. Dominic hopes that in this unique situation councillors from all political parties will come together in a spirit of compassion to support people in this tough winter to come. Local councils across the country from all parties and regions are also declaring cost of living emergencies, which has seen plans to support people in our communities put in place and emergency funding released to support the actions taken.
Dominic Martin has said, “The Government is not doing enough for people who will be struggling to heat their homethis winter, and so we must act locally”. He added, he would push for the council to take a lead to set up ‘warm spaces’ in communities across the borough, in libraries, churches, charities and even businesses. These warm spaces would provide people with spaces where they can come to stay warm when they can’t afford to do so at home and would be a space for people to socialise and receive support in tough times.
In the local by-election, Labour’s candidate Dominic Martin has set out his 5 pledges for a fresh approach in Portchester East. The call to declare a cost of living emergency with a roll-out of warm spaces across the borough; works towards meeting two of his pledges to be ‘your voice on the cost of living crisis’ and ‘working towards turning Portchester Precinct into a real community hub for all’. Dominic said, “by providing warm spaces for people to turn tothis winter, throughout the community in libraries, churches, charities and even businesses, all of which can be found in the precinct, we are showing what it means to turn the precinct into a community hub for all”.
His other pledges include working to improve green spaces and play areas in Portchester using money raised by local developments in Portchester, working towards setting up a digital skills support centre and fighting for mental health training for local community leaders. Dominic has said ‘by providing these resouces, we can harness the strength of the Portchester community to deliver for Portchester residents”.
In light of recent actions by the Government to cut taxes for the richest in our society, whilst landing the debt on working people during a cost-of-living crisis, causing economic turmoil and interest rates on mortgages to rise,Dominic has said that “only by voting Labour, can you send a message to your Tory MP that enough is enough”.